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A record 16.6
inches (42 cm) of rain fell in Brenham, about 80 miles (130 km)
west of Houston, on Thursday, according to the National Weather
Service (NWS), which posted flash flood watches in some parts of
southeast Texas for Friday.
A cluster of thunderstorms was moving southeast over Houston and
toward western Louisiana on Friday afternoon before they were
expected to move off the Gulf Coast, NWS meteorologist Brynn
Kerr said on Friday.
One person was killed overnight in a drowning incident in the
eastern part of Washington County, located about half-way
between Austin and Houston, according to Brenham officials. A
second death earlier on Friday was believed to have been caused
by a heart attack shortly after the victim's vehicle was carried
through high water.
A 21-year-old man was reported missing after his pickup truck
was found near a highway, Brenham Fire Chief Ricky Boeker said
on Friday afternoon.
Since Thursday, there have been about 45 water rescues of people
in Washington County, officials said.
Public schools in Brenham were closed on Friday, according to
the school district.
Over the past two days, heavy rains in the central United States
have caused floods that have covered roadways and forced
multiple evacuations. Tornados have uprooted trees, caused power
outages and damaged homes in parts of Texas and Kansas,
according to media reports.
In Bastrop County, just outside of Austin, about 100 homes were
damaged and evacuated overnight, said Sissy Jones, a sheriff's
office spokeswoman. County Judge Paul Pape was expected to
declare a disaster to tap emergency funds, she said.
Residents of the county, which has a population of about 80,500,
were advised on Facebook to boil drinking and cooking water
after water main breaks due to heavy rainfall.
In Travis County, which includes the state capital of Austin,
two people were reported missing, said Jacob Dirr, a spokesman
for the city.
Earlier, nine people and two dogs were rescued by helicopter
with some hoisted from their vehicles, he said. About 75 people
had received assistance in evacuating their homes for higher
ground, he said.
(Reporting by Marcus Howard in New York; Editing by Frances
Kerry and Sandra Maler)
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